Title IX Created Opportunities for Women

By Mary Branham, CSG Managing Editor

Those 37 words left an indelible mark on the U.S. education system and gave women more opportunities in academics and athletics.

President Richard Nixon signed Title IX on June 23, 1972. It was one of several amendments included in the Education Amendments of 1972. Nixon spent most of his remarks about the amendments discussing desegregation busing and didn’t mention the expansion of education access for women.

Rep. Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii was a driving force behind Title IX, and the amendment was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act after her death in 2002. Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh is credited with authorship of the final bill.

“While the impact of this amendment would be far-reaching, it is not a panacea,” Byah said, according to the Congressional Record. “It is, however, an important first step in the effort to provide for the women of America something that is rightfully theirs—an equal chance to attend the schools of their choice, to develop the skills they want, and to apply those skills with the knowledge that they will have a fair chance to secure the jobs of their choice with equal pay for equal work.”

Looking at the state of the educational system before and after the passage of Title IX, it appears the country has achieved some of those goals. Many believe much more progress can be made.

In Sports

In 1972, fewer than 32,000 women participated in intercollegiate athletics.

In 2010–11, 193,232 women participated in intercollegiate athletics.

In 1972, women‘s teams received only 2 percent of schools’ athletics budgets; and no athletic scholarships.

In 2010–11, for every $1 spent on women’s sports, about $2.50 are spent on men’s sports.

In 1972, 295,000 girls competed in high school sports, while 3.67 million boys did.

In 2010–11, 3.2 million girls participated in high school sports, while 4.5 million boys did.

Source: National Women’s Law Center, “Title IX, 40 Years and Counting”

In 2011, women held:

57 percent of professional occupations in the U.S. workforce

25 percent of professional computing occupations

Source: Women and Information Technology, By the Numbers, National Center for Women & Information Technology

On Advanced Placement Tests

In 2011, females took:

56 percent of all AP tests

46 percent of calculus tests

19 percent of computer science tests

Source: Women and Information Technology, By the Numbers, National Center for Women & Information Technology

In Schools

Colleges

1970» Women were 23 percent of faculty

2010» Women were 42 percent of faculty

Source: Association of American Colleges and Universities

College presidents

1970» 3 percent were women

1986» 9.5 percent were women

2011» 26.4 percent were women

Sources: Association of American Colleges and Universities, Chronicle of Higher Education

Before and After Title IX

1971–72

Women earned:

43 percent of associate degrees

46 percent of bachelor’s degrees

40.5 percent of master’s degrees

6 percent of first professional degrees

15.8 percent of doctoral degrees

2008–09

Women earned:

62 percent of associate degrees

57 percent of bachelor’s degrees

60 percent of master’s degrees

59 percent of first professional degrees

52 percent of doctoral degrees

NOTE: Doctor’s degrees includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level. Excludes first professional, such as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees.Source: National Center for Education Statistics